What's the point of tailgating?

[grampi]

I have been noticing more and more tailgaters...what are these people trying to accomplish?

Now, before people start jumping on my case about driving too slowly, or being a left lane camper, I'll tell you I'm not one of those drivers. I typically drive 5-10 MPH over the limit, and when I'm driving on 4 or more lane roads, I stay right except to pass.

I don't know if these people who tailgate think they're going to intimidate me into driving faster, or if they just fail to see any danger in following too closely, but I don't care for the fact that they're willing to put other drivers in danger just because they're in a hurry. I think the police need to start cracking down on these people...

 

[buster]

The only time I tailgate, and I don't think it's a good thing (but it can work) is when some fool in the left hand lane won't get out of the way.

*If I were a cop, these would be the people I'd be pulling over. They cause more problems than people going a bit over the speed limit.

 

[supton]

I know I've seen some aggressive drives trying to either intimidate or otherwise are driving badly. For myself, it's just a comfortable spot, brought on by lots of driving in MA, where it's commonplace in heavy traffic to only have 2-3 carlengths. Once you get used to following at 1.5seconds or so at 60mph, it becomes normal at 70; and then when it's comfortable at 70...

 

[A_Harman]

Maybe they're NASCAR fans. They're drafting, not tailgating.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Ignorant drivers here are on the rise. More registrations are out of date, more tickets being written. Revenues are way down though.

Scofflaws rejoice.

 

[TallPaul]

Tailgaters are either in such a hurry that they can't stand it to be any farther back than they possibly can be, or (and this is the worse kind), they purposefully want to annoy the livin whatever out of the driver in front of them.

Sometimes flashing the brights on a slow poke in the left lane helps. Safer too, unless he is a wacko that goes gonzo road rage on you for flashing your lights at him. There are all kinds out there.

 

[Kestas]

I've seen police do this to left lane campers. In one instance I saw the cop tailgate for a while before the camper woke up, looked in his rearview mirror and pulled to the right lane. It sends a message without having to talk to the guy.

 

[bigmike]

I've yet to find someone intimidate me while I was driving. Oh, they can try, but good luck with that.

Remember, tailgaters will tailgate on any road, not just the interstates.
I think it is far more dangerous for them to tailgate while driving in residential or downtown streets, when a sudden stop may be just around the corner, either from pedestrians/children or another driver not paying attention.

There have been many times, I've pulled off the road to let someone go by because I don't want to harm the tailgater when he rear-ends my vehicle. And by "harm" I mean beat the tar out of him once it happens. I'd rather not lower myself down to the standards I had when I was a teenager and my early 20s.

 

[John_K]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Ignorant drivers here are on the rise. More registrations are out of date, more tickets being written. Revenues are way down though.

Scofflaws rejoice.


Yup. Ignorant, I have ridden with someone who tailgates, it's impatience.

John

 

[abycat]

Some guy was tailgating me yesterday and i mean like a foot away so i tapped the brakes. I think he spilled something haha. He even got out and asked my why i hit the brakes. I told him to not make two mistakes today and [censored] off.

 

[hounddog]

If I'm doing 75 on the interstate which is my limit and in the left lane because I'm going faster then the right lane and right lane is packed I will not move over. I will not go slower or faster. I do not tailgate. Ever. I force myself not to. Others should do the same.

 

[dparm]

Impatience.

Occasionally I find myself doing it if I'm not paying very close attention.

 

[Hermann]

When I get a tailgater, especially when I am above the limit and to the right. I will just slowly slow down and they usually move around me on one side or the other.

Would love to find a bumper sticker that says "The closer you get, the slower I go"

My least favorite drivers are the campers in the middle lane on three lane highways. These folks are just not compotent enough drivers to allow mergers access if they stay in the right lane. And they are not brave enough to venture in the fast lane.

 

[volk06]

At first when I saw this thread, I thought you were asking why people tailgate at sporting events! Whew... its been a long week.

 

[grampi]

You yourself admitted that tailgating isn't a good thing, but you sometimes do it anyway? Not too smart. There is no justification for tailgating...not even if the person in front of you is driving slower than everyone else on a 4 lane highway in the left lane...now I could see flashing that person your high beams, but tailgating puts other drivers, and the occupants of their vehicle in danger...

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: supton
For myself, it's just a comfortable spot, brought on by lots of driving in MA, where it's commonplace in heavy traffic to only have 2-3 carlengths.


I think you may be on to something. As traffic has gotten worse and worse in my area, I spend more and more time crawling along, bumper-to-bumper at 15 mph. When the traffic starts to break up and the speeds go back up (gradually) to 45, then 60, then 70, I sometimes find myself keeping more of the same spacing, rather than a reasonable time interval (longer spacing at faster speeds).

I think its wrong and unsafe... but its a possible explanation of why its getting more and more common.

 

[jdeare]

I have noticed that people talking on cell phones tend to drive much closer to the car in front of them. Seems like a great combination!

 

[lexus114]

Originally Posted By: grampi
I have been noticing more and more tailgaters...what are these people trying to accomplish?

Now, before people start jumping on my case about driving too slowly, or being a left lane camper, I'll tell you I'm not one of those drivers. I typically drive 5-10 MPH over the limit, and when I'm driving on 4 or more lane roads, I stay right except to pass.

I don't know if these people who tailgate think they're going to intimidate me into driving faster, or if they just fail to see any danger in following too closely, but I don't care for the fact that they're willing to put other drivers in danger just because they're in a hurry. I think the police need to start cracking down on these people...



This;
"I don't know if these people who tailgate think they're going to intimidate me into driving faster?"

 

[nwjones18]

I had a woman tailgating me in a minivan for several miles in town once. I was going about 5mph over the speed limit and she just kept following me about a foot off my bumper. There was no traffic and she could have passed. After a while she started holding her hand out the window flipping me off. I had a big weight distributing hitch on my old truck, and I brake checked her. Tore the front of her van all to pieces. She was quite unhappy with me, and when the officer got there I told him exactly what had happened, he laughed and wrote up the accident as no fault.. I realize this wasn't the best thing to do, but sometimes anger gets the best of you.

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: lexus114
This;
"I don't know if these people who tailgate think they're going to intimidate me into driving faster?"


It doesn't work with me. I never drive faster due to a tailgater. If anything I slow down...